ברוך השם
barúkh hashém
The English phrase "thank God" can be translated into Hebrew using several expressions, most commonly ברוך השם (barúkh hashém). Wiktionary also lists תּוֹדָה לָאֵל (todá la'el) and השבח לאל (hashévakh la'el).
Meaning: exclamation of gratitude or relief (intj)
Ways to say it
| Hebrew | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| ברוך השם | barúkh hashém |
| תּוֹדָה לָאֵל | todá la'el |
| השבח לאל | hashévakh la'el |
These expressions are used as exclamations of gratitude or relief. The most common way to express this is ברוך השם, which is used frequently by both religious and secular Israelis as a common idiom for relief or gratitude, similar to how "thank God" is used in English.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ברוך השם literally translates to "Blessed is the Name". The phrase תּוֹדָה לָאֵל is composed of תּוֹדָה (thanks) and לָאֵל (to God).
Which one should you use?
ברוך השם is the most common, everyday way to say "thank God" in Hebrew, whereas השבח לאל is more formal or liturgical.
How do you pronounce it?
barúkh hashém
Did you know?
- In a conversation, ברוך השם is frequently used as a standalone answer to the question 'How are you?', meaning 'I am doing well'.
- When using the phrase ברוך השם, speakers often replace the actual word for 'God' with the word for 'the Name', השם, out of respect to avoid pronouncing a holy name in casual conversation.
- The word ברוך is a linguistic relative of the Arabic word مبارك (mubārak), which is used in the greeting 'Mubarak'.
Examples in context
- השבח לאל.Thank God.This example shows the use of השבח לאל.Tatoeba #2205349 by AlteredBeast, translation #370585 by saeb
- ברוך השם, אני אתאיסטט.Thank God I am an atheist.This example shows the use of ברוך השם.Tatoeba #11672240 by shekitten, translation #2350298 by glavkos
- ברוך השם, אני אתאיסטית.Thank God I'm an atheist.Tatoeba #11672236 by shekitten, translation #11065435 by shekitten
- הודו לה' שאנחנו בסוף מתקרבים לחופשה!Let's give thanks to God that we are finally approaching the vacation!
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Maya are talking after a long drive.
- דניאל Danielסיימנו את הנסיעה, ברוך השם.Siyamnu et hanesi'a, baruch hashem.We finished the drive, thank God.
- מאיה Mayaכן, אני מאוד עייפה.Ken, ani me'od ayefa.Yes, I am very tired.
- דניאל Danielברוך השם שהגענו בזמן.Baruch hashem shehega'nu bizman.Thank God we arrived on time.
- מאיה Mayaבאמת, עכשיו אפשר לנוח.Be'emet, achshav efshar lano'ach.Truly, now we can rest.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thank God” translations and entries ברוך השם, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ברוך, השם, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
